1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists particularly in an improved pedestal construction in which a pedestal tie bar is selectively movable between closed and open positions but is not removable from the pedestal.
2. The Prior Art
Commonly pedestal tie bars are removably secured to the lower ends or feet of pedestal legs by bolts or equivalent securing devices and are arranged for removal from the pedestal legs when it is desired to open the pedestal jaw, as for example when an axle is removed from a truck. Because of the relatively small size of pedestal tie bars, they are frequently lost when so removed and the replacement of large numbers of lost pedestal tie bars is both inconvenient and expensive. Conventional pedestal tie bars can also be lost when they fall off in transit due to loosening of the attaching bolts and this presents the additional danger that the pedestal jaw will be left open during operation of the car. A partial solution to this problem is shown in Perry Brown U.S. Pat. No. 700,894, in which a continuous tie rod 5, which functions both as pedestal tie bar on the individual pedestals and as a tie between separate pedestals is slidably received in loops or pockets 6 formed on the pedestal legs. While the loops of Brown would prevent the tie bar from falling from the truck so long as one of the fastening bolts and nuts was in place, it would not prevent the complete removal of the tie bar from the truck because, when the bolts were removed, the tie bar could be slid longitudinally out of all the loops and thus removed.